Attack on Daniels not fair (10/4/04)

Democratic leaders defending recent attack ads aimed at the role of Mitch Daniels in the sale of Indianapolis Power and Light claim character is at issue.

They’re right.

But it’s not the character of Mitch Daniels.

It’s the character of those in the Kernan campaign who have decided that the end justifies the means.

The attack commercials on radio and television — two media which seem to work better for slinging mud than newspapers — portray Daniels as a cold-hearted corporate type for voting for the sale of IPALCO several years ago.

Some folks were hurt by the utility company’s merger, and some folks saw their stock in the merged company lose its value significantly.

For that, the commercial implies, Daniels is to blame.

But as any consumer of American political advertising knows, the truth is always a little more complicated.

In this case, the truth is that the IPALCO board, of which Daniels was a member, voted unanimously for the sale.

The truth is that most securities analysts, including utility regulators in Indiana government, thought the deal made sense for all concerned. The truth is that the value of stock for investors in IPALCO actually went up with the merger.

And the truth is that Daniels sold his IPALCO stock because he was joining the Bush administration in Washington; he sold it to meet the proper ethical standards.

To now tar the Republican candidate and link him with the likes of Enron because the company’s stock lost value in the years after Daniels sold is simply unfair and misleading.

There’s plenty to argue about in this gubernatorial election. Joe Kernan has a record to defend, and there are legitimate questions about how Mitch Daniels plans to pay for all the different things he’s proposed.

Voters would be better served if the discussion focused on what matters. — J.R.[[In-content Ad]]